Progressive alternative quintet Hail The Sun released their new single and video “Mind Rider” on Equal Vision Records. You can watch the official video here and stream the song here. Their new single is their first release since critically acclaimed 2021 album New Age Filth. The band, consisting of Donovan Melero (vocals), Aric Garcia (guitar), John Stirrat (bass) Shane Gann (guitar) and touring drummer Allen Casillas (who appeared on their new song) will be joining fellow luminaries The Sounds of Animals Fighting on a month long North American tour starting on Friday, January 6th.
“Mind Rider” is a musical tour de force that demonstrates the bands ability to mesh virtuosic playing with memorable songwriting. Swirling guitars and angular drumming provide a perfect backdrop for Melero’s soaring vocals, supported by a driving rhythm and lush production. Angular guitar and bass riffs weave in and out of one another with an impressive technicality that doesn’t distract from the deeply melodic quality of the song. Hail The Sun has always been a band known for their relentless sonic exploration, and their new song shows just how committed they are to the journey. You can stream “Mind Rider” here.
The band has this to say about the message of their new song:
“Temptation is all around us and can be magnified at various points of our life. Why does it feel so good to give into it, even when we know we shouldn’t? Not sure it is ever worth it, but we live and learn based on our individual moral compasses.”
“Mind Rider” is available now from Equal Vision Records. Hail The Sun will be supporting The Sounds of Animals Fighting on tour starting Friday, January 6th at The Regency Ballroom in San Francisco, CA. Full itinerary is below.
ABOUT HAIL THE SUN:
When Hail The Sun entered the studio to record what would become their highly-anticipated fifth full-length album, New Age Filth , they knew they were setting out to release their most ambitious material to date. The band, consisting of Donovan Melero (vocals/drums), Aric Garcia (guitar), John Stirrat (bass) and Shane Gann (guitar), spent five weeks with producer Kris Crummett which resulted in their most collaborative and diverse album yet.
“Domino”, the energetic first single off of the record, showcases the band’s technical prowess with instruments dancing over one another as vocalist Donovan Melero belts out his signature high-pitched vocals. Lyrically, the track centers around reflection of self and how past actions can affect others. On writing “Domino”, Melero stated, “Reflecting is important. What we might discover in reflection can be a hard pill to swallow. I’m only as big as my weakest character flaw. I’m told that I talk a lot in my sleep, and these are the things I think I say.”
Hail the Sun’s New Age Filth includes tracks that are heavier and poppier at the same time, proving their ability to be extremely technical in instrumentation while also unleashing some of the catchiest hooks they’ve ever created. The influence from genre-melding predecessors like Coheed and Cambria, At The Drive-In, and even Yes is apparent, but the sound is still very much a natural evolution from Hail The Sun’s past work. The shifting musical compositions on New Age Filth perfectly accompany the emotive lyrical outpour found across the album. Continuing along the theme of reflection, Melero weaves through painful and emotional experiences of love, cynicism, and touches on how awful humans can be to one another.